Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - It has been six months since the tragic mass shooting at the Tops Friendly Market on Jefferson Avenue in Buffalo that claimed the lives of 10 Black people in a racially motivated attack on the East Buffalo community.
Since the attack, a number of investments and other projects have been announced for the community and other surrounding areas to help the people of that neighborhood not only recover in the wake of tragedy, but also flourish and thrive in an effort to revitalize the region.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul was in Buffalo on Monday, along with a number of other elected leaders at the local and state level, to announce 11 new transformational projects in Buffalo's Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood to enhance the quality of life for residents, while creating business, employment, and housing opportunities as part of the $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative award.
These investments will leverage the neighborhood's dense stock of largely historic commercial buildings for vibrant new green space, retail-oriented streets, improved bike and pedestrian connections and lively streetscapes. These improvements are part of the Governor's ongoing efforts to revitalize the upstate economy and uplift Western New York communities.
"With all these projects, it shows No. 1, we care about this community. This is a community that matters," said Gov. Hochul on Monday during an announcement at the Matt Urban Center on Broadway. "It has a story to continue telling, the story of East Buffalo is not over yet. I believe that young people today born in this community are going to look back and bring their own children back here and their grandkids and say, 'I was there when this revitalization really hit its stride.' We started really giving an opportunity for people to feel proud of their communities, and this is long overdue. It's a great, great, great community, and people have wanted the recognition, the intention and the investments for a long time."
The Broadway-Fillmore District in Buffalo was named a DRI Round 5 winner just this past year. The specific projects to be funded through the DRI include:
- Enhancements to the Broadway Market: $2.5 million
- Improvements to the Pedestrian Experience: $1,766,850
- Construction of the Buffalo Central Terminal Great Lawn: $1 million
- Renovating 239 Lombard to provide child care and train child care workers: $1 million
- Creating an Innovative Organic Container Farm: $664,000
- Revitalizing Sears Paderewski Park: $630,000
- Creating Affordable Housing at Playter Gardens at the Market: $550,000
- Renovating Historic Schreiber Brewery: $500,000
- Renovating 950 Broadway for Affordable Daycare Center: $427,150
- Expanding an Established Neighborhood Bakery: $362,000
- Improving the Matt Urban Center for Afterschool and Performance Space: $290,000
"It's all about re-development, new development, job creation, job retention, and economic housing, food security, as well as the housing costs are getting too high in Buffalo. We have to make sure that we continue to build out our housing inventory of affordable housing," Gov. Hochul said. "So far, we've invested over $600 million in 59 communities across the state, helping downtowns, but I really could not be prouder to do it right here in my hometown of Buffalo. So we're investing in not just a place, we're investing in our people, and that's what gets me so excited about this today."
Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown was also on-hand for Monday's announcement for the East Buffalo and Broadway-Fillmore communities. He says this day is not only a day of remembrance and reflection in light of the Tops mass shooting on May 14, but it is also a day of transformation for this section of the City of Buffalo.
"This injection of $10 million for capital projects will leverage so much more than we had hoped to stimulate further economic development for years to come in this area of the City of Buffalo. Broadway-Fillmore and the area where these resources are going is not only a gateway to Downtown Buffalo, but it is a gateway to East Buffalo. And the Broadway Fillmore neighborhood is, indeed, unique. It is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the City of Buffalo, and has become one of the most culturally diverse neighborhoods in our city."
Hear more from Monday's announcement available in the player below:
